Jiang Yi's resentment subsided, but the remaining flock of sheep gave Zheng Ruqian a headache.
At first, they were just lambs, each weighing four or five pounds. They were simply picked up, thrown into the carriage, and that was it.
Six months isn't enough time for them to grow up, but they gradually stretch out and gain weight of forty or fifty kilograms, making them more difficult to move.
Even if they are squeezed into the carriage, we must prevent them from falling out, prevent the carriage from overturning, and prevent the carriage from being destroyed and the sheep from dying.
This put Zheng Ruqian and Fang Heng in a very difficult position.
Later, an experienced sheep farmer from northern Xinjiang stepped forward, tied the sheep's feet together in pairs with strips of cloth, and left a slipknot. He instructed them to feed the sheep water and grass every day, and to turn them over if the time was too long to prevent the sheepskin from rotting.
Only then did they painstakingly transport the sheep to Longxi County.
Feeding them afterward wasn't difficult, and the hired farmhands were quite responsible. Zheng Ruqian picked out the two biggest and fattest ones, but then he ran into trouble when he wanted to transport them back to Fengjing.
The journey from northern Xinjiang to Longxi takes only three to five days, and the sheep can barely be transported by wrapping their hooves.
It takes a full month to travel from Longxi to Fengjing. Even if the sheep don't suffocate, they'll be paralyzed. Will they still be edible when they arrive?
He's so thin he's practically skin and bones.
At the suggestion of his farmhand, Zheng Ruqian gritted his teeth and asked a carpenter to make a wooden cage cart, which was a horse-drawn carriage with a wooden cage on it, somewhat like a cart for transporting prisoners. There were gaps between the pieces of wood specifically for smashing eggs and vegetable leaves.
However, the gaps in the wooden cage cart were just enough for the sheep to stretch their heads out and breathe.
The original carriage was filled with hay before the two sheep were transported back from Shangjun.
Because feeding the sheep took too much time, and they were almost there, Zheng Ruqian took a break and didn't feed them. He rushed into the courtyard and was so engrossed in chatting and laughing with his siblings that the two hungry sheep started bleating.
"Baa...baa..."
The half-grown sheep bleated with its mouth wide open, revealing its clean, fine teeth, which was quite frightening.
Aside from Xu Mo, the other three siblings rushed out. Zheng Ruqian was in charge of fetching grass and watering the sheep, while the other three huddled together, carefully examining the rare northern Xinjiang sheep.
The reason why mutton is expensive in Fengjing is that it is difficult to raise sheep in large numbers. Only a few people raise a few sheep with wild grass at the entrance of the village, and sell them to make a living after they grow up.
With its price of five taels per catty after deboning, it far surpasses other meats, becoming the undisputed high-end commodity.
Even so, those who have actually tasted Xinjiang lamb will say that local lamb is not even half as good as Xinjiang lamb.
Suppressing her curiosity, Jiang Sheng examined the sheep for a long time before blurting out, "This sheep looks uglier than the sheep we have here."
People inside and outside the house laughed.
The taste and texture of meat may be affected by breed, feeding habits, or differences in grass and water, but it can never be determined by appearance.
“It’s a pity that my second brother isn’t a professional sheep farmer, otherwise I would have argued with you about it.” Zheng Ruqian scattered the last handful of grass. “These next few days, I’ll cut some grass to feed them well, and we’ll slaughter them for the New Year.”
Although they can't buy new clothes or set off firecrackers, they have sheep to eat, and these are sheep from northern Xinjiang.
Jiang Sheng smiled and agreed, her voice crisp and sweet, "Okay."
This New Year, the long-awaited moment has finally arrived.
Fengjing has no grasslands, but cutting some grass to feed two sheep is more than enough. There are also enough people in the second courtyard. It's either Jiang Sheng or Chang Yan, along with Jiang San and Jiang Si. They can cut enough grass for three days in two hours.
Sometimes we run into acquaintances who are surprised to see the truck full of grass and ask, "Are you planning to weave straw mats?"
Jiang Sheng didn't refute, but waved her hand with a smile, "Wishing you an early Happy New Year!"
The other party could only cup their hands in greeting and reply with a congratulatory response.
With only two days left until the end of the year, Jiang Sheng cut more grass this time, leaving him nowhere to sit. He could only sit cross-legged on the carriage shaft, with a stack of straw behind him peeking out from the carriage curtain, looking rather shabby.
She was easygoing and didn't care. She handed the reins to Jiang San, rested her chin on her hand, and looked at the red lanterns by the roadside, the bright red candied hawthorns, and everyone on the road wearing gold and silver.
As she passed by the gold jewelry store on Fourth Street, she saw a mother and daughter choosing their favorite gold hairpins and trying them on.
It was a hairpin made using the silk-wrapping technique, with fine gold wire twisted into a spiral pattern to form the shape of flowers and birds. The birds held crystal-clear rubies in their beaks, and the whole design was exquisite and full of spirit. It was extremely beautiful.
The mother carefully inserted the hairpin into the girl's hair bun, and then tidied her sideburns before saying with a smile, "Only such a beautiful hairpin is worthy of our affection."
The girl lowered her head shyly, seemingly both happy and worried. "Mother, Grandmother has cut off your family's income. Your dowry alone is not enough to make ends meet. Let's forget about such a precious hairpin."
“No.” She pressed down on the girl’s hand. “If you like it, then buy it.”
The clever head maid in purple stepped forward to pay the silver, leaving the two women together in a loving mother-daughter relationship.
Just then, Jiang Sheng, dressed in simple old clothes, with bundles of weeds behind her and half a fallen leaf on her head, whizzed past.
Carriages are not allowed to travel too fast within Fengjing City, giving both groups ample time to clearly see what the other is doing, who they are, and what's behind them.
A dazzling array of jade and overgrown weeds.
Silk robes and old cotton clothes.
A kind mother and daughter, and a dazed girl.
Similar big eyes, but different temperatures.
Liao's hand tightened suddenly on the gold hairpin, causing it to tilt and sting Jiang Chenghuan's scalp.
"Mother!" she cried out.
Liao released her grip, still shaken, and asked, "Are you hurt? Are you bleeding?"
Jiang Chenghuan bit her lip and remained silent.
Liao did not press further, but simply gazed at the carriage laden with weeds, seemingly thinking of the little girl who had lived tenaciously like a weed.
"Mother," Jiang Chenghuan mouthed, but no sound came out. He just nestled closer to her anxiously, as if he wanted to get even closer.
"Mother." The same mouth shape, the same silence, this time it was Jiang Sheng.
She opened her mouth in confusion, trying to utter unfamiliar and obscure words, but fell silent the moment the words came out.
Mingming and Grandmother are only one character different, so why is there such a big difference?
She couldn't call out the name, couldn't imagine it, and couldn't connect the Liao family with the golden-glowing appearance.
All she could do was tell herself, what good is having a mother if she still can't eat mutton from northern Xinjiang?
The carriage sped by, the wind whistling past my ears.
She grinned, her lips parted in a wet smile.
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